


A Charmed Life

by templefugate



Series: Disney Femslash [9]
Category: Sleeping Beauty (Fairy Tale), The Little Mermaid (1989), Wreck-It Ralph (Movies)
Genre: Drabble, Drabble Collection, F/F, Femslash, Implied Sexual Content, Multiple Pairings, One Shot, POV Female Character, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 10:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17979977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/templefugate/pseuds/templefugate
Summary: The adventures of a pixelated princess and her not-quite arch enemy.





	1. Bistros & Bids - Ariel/Ursula

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanessa arrives at the princess lounge.

Vanessa - Ursula, Ariel quickly reminds herself - doesn't even give her a second look when she walks over. Her frappachino is almost empty, the remaining liquid loudly slirping as it rises up her straw.

"Why so speechless, princess?"

Ariel tightens her fist, the words that had been brewing in her head since she first saw the interloper arrive finally reaching her tongue. "You don't belong here."

Ursula presses her lips together. She looks down. "I'm certainly not dressed for the occasion." In the span of a blink, her violet, tight-bodiced dress is replaced with a matching colored, loose fitting nightgown that looks to be two sizes too large for her. Light blue leggings go down to her ankles, while crab shaped slippers decorate her feet.

"Well," Ursula says, pushing her chestnut hair back, "does this make you happy?"

Ariel turns and searches the lounge. Alice and Belle are reading in a corner, their faces so obscured by thick tomes that she only recognizes them thanks to their clothes. Tiana is busily digging through the fridge, while Moana munches on cookie at a nearby table. The space is small, but suddenly they seem miles away.

"You don't belong here." Ariel repeats. She speaks slowly to keep her voice from shaking. "You're not a princess."

"Go tell that to a good chunk of your other guests and I might just listen." Ursula stirs her drink absently. "I'd say you're one of only a handful here who actually has a crown."

Ariel scowls. "I thought you had your own section."

"You think I can get a drink like this at the bistro?" Ursula raises an eyebrow, then chuckles. "It seems you haven't quite stretched those new legs of yours as much as I thought." She stands, leaving her cup at the table. "But far be it from me to ruin your fun." She blows Ariel a kiss. "If you ever want to dive into something new, you know where to find me."

-

Though no one else seems to realize it, she doesn't belong here. Pushing past a row of dancers, she hurries towards a table. The room is large, the crowd larger. The further in she goes, the more bodies Ariel seems to find. They move with an energy that's almost infectious. Any other time she'd join in with them. Or, rather, any other place than this smoky, near lightless establishment.

What little light remains is anything but illuminating. Ariel knows it isn't and couldn't be Aurora standing across the room, her arm linked around some unseen waist. Almost every face around her is a blur.

Ariel makes it to the now empty table on the far east side of the establishment. A few other tables are filled, some even curtained off. Madam Mim had walked off from this one a few minutes before.

"Well, well, well," Ursula comments, leaning back further in her chair. "Look who finally showed up."

There's a lump in Ariel's throat that takes all of her energy to swallow. She sits down on the furthest edge of the booth, her body leaning outward.

Ursula pushes a drink forward. Her nails are painted dark purple. "Try this, dearie. One sip and you'll wish you could swim in it."

Ariel's gaze tightens. "I want to know why you keep showing up at the lounge."

Ursula gasps, holding a hand up to her face. "To get some peace and quiet! What else?"

It's only then that Ariel notices the muffled noise around her. It's not gone, but the chatter and songs have been replaced by a blanket of sound. Everyone seems distant, even people swaying slowly a few feet away from her.

"When we were at the lounge, did you-"

Ariel never finishes her sentence. Ursula is rubbing her fingers across her nautilus necklace.

"Oh, pardon me." Her hand drops to the table. "An old habit."

She pauses. Ariel is about to speak when Ursula stops her.

"Do you ever wonder who Vanessa is?"

Ariel blinks. "You?"

Ursula chuckles. "Oh, hardly. Normally I'd scoff at this pale pile of skin and bones, if it didn't offer me such advantages." She shakes her head. "No, she isn't me. Or, shall I say, was me. In return for her form, I offered her power that she could only dream of controlling."

Ariel winces.

Unnoticing, Ursula continues. "And believe me, for her it was a dream." Ursula leans forward across the table. "But that was hardly my concern. We both got what we wanted, so there really is no reason for either of us to complain. Still..." She threw her hands up. "It's so hard to appreciate what you already have."

It's only then that Ariel is aware of the cold feeling rising up her spine, all but gluing her to the vinyl seat.

"When you first came to me, I almost asked for the same thing from you. I would have gladly dumped this old thing." She rubs her necklace again. "But at the time it seemed that you had something much more useful to offer me. So, how's Eric?"

Ariel's eyes widen. "Eric?"

"Oh, surely you must remember him. Even I would hope so." She takes a sip of her own drink. "When did you last see him?"

"What should that matter to you?"

"Don't sound so defensive! It can't have been that long."

Ariel looks away from her. Most days, Eric doesn't even cross her mind. She has quizzes to lead and blog posts to fill, not to mention countless children to entertain. Eric has his own duties, a life that at times seems only to barely interact with her own.

"So much for true love. But it's hardly your fault. People and circumstances change." She leans forward, her voice dropping to a mock whisper. "Don't ever let her know that I told you this, but Grimhilde thinks that we aren't really who we say we are. None of us, not you, me, or these whole hosts of other characters."

"Huh?" It isn't much of a response, but it's all that comes to mind. As if Ariel would ever dream of speaking to the evil queen. The thought alone is enough to make her bite her lip.

"Well, we know it's true for at least some here. I'm not the only one who sees the use in an alias." 

In the span of a heartbeat, Vanessa is gone, in her place the real Ursula. A tentacle slides against Ariel's leg but quickly pulls away, leaving only a thin, slimy film behind. Ariel shivers.

"She says we're just pixels and programs, an image taken from a movie and smushed onto lines of code." Ursula laughs. "Believe me, I was just as confused as you are when I first heard it."

Ariel's stomach tightens. "I'm not confused." She points a finger across the table. "Despite whatever you say, I know that you're the sea witch."

"I feel the exact same way. There are certainly worse people to be." Another tentacle slides against her leg, this time gripping it. "But she may just be right."

Ariel pulls her leg up and the tentacle slides off easily, falling to the ground with a soft plop.

"Touchy, are we?" She stretches her hand out. "If she is correct, then what happened to them doesn't matter. They're just drawings on a screen ripped from words written across paper. Us? We are whoever we choose to be. Icon, witch, or princess."

There are a million ways that Ariel could reply, a thousand arguments, but Ariel leaves without another word. Still, she takes a swig of the drink that Ursula offered her. The liquid burns her throat but turns her steps harder.

It's a quick taste, too little to get much of an impression. Maybe someday she'll have another.


	2. Sure of Step - Ariel/Ursula

Ariel's lips part though no sound comes out. 

Ursula pulls her head out from between her legs. "I'm glad you figured out what these were good for."


End file.
